NORMAN — One Norman man is pushing to see the image of a hijab-clad woman removed from the Pioneer Library System vehicles. He said the image has no place on a government vehicle, because it promotes Islam and is therefore unconstitutional.

“How can they promote Islam on the side of a public vehicle in Norman Oklahoma,” Chad Grensky said. “I don’t understand it. It makes me sick. I’m not anti-Muslim. Our tax paying dollars fund these vehicles and they feel the need to promote Islam on the side of these cars. And that’s not right.”

Pioneer Library System Executive Director Ann Masters said the library chain has 11 vehicles featuring different representations of the library customer base. She said the images used reflect the diverse customer base the library serves and in no way promotes religion.

Masters said Grensky has left messages with her and she is planning on getting in touch with him to discuss it.

“We have 11 vehicles and they all have some kind of wrap with a different representation of a customer. Some have children. Some have senior citizens. Some have white people. Some have black people. The one [Grensky] is referring to has a Middle Eastern person who may be Muslim. Our effort was to make the images on our vehicles representative of our entire service area. This certainly isn’t pushing religion. And I don’t know that it actually even represents someone of that religion, but we were simply trying to represent all of our customers.”

Oklahoma City Imam Imad Enchassi said the notion that an image of a woman in a hijab promotes Islam over other religions is ridiculous and indicative of Islamophobia’s grip on the American psyche.

For starters, he said the fact that the woman is Arab and wearing a hijab doesn’t necessarily mean she is of the Muslim faith.

He said she could be an orthodox Jew or an orthodox Christian and the assumptions all point back to Islamophobia in America.

“It’s not a secret that Islamophobia is at an all-time high,” Enchassi said. “The political rhetoric that is coming out of the mouths of politicians has amplified it to a dangerous level.

“In America, we pride ourselves on liberty and justice for all and equality and yet, when a Muslim woman wants to practice her form of expression, her form of modesty, it’s looked down upon.”

Grensky said he has been contacted by the Norman Police Department and said the chief of police determined that he was not a threat.

“I told them wow, I must be someone real special,” Grensky said. “I just want to see it gone. Put all religions on every car or none. Equality across the board. There are zero cars that display Jews, Christians, or Catholics.”

Grensky said the issue isn’t about Islam or race, but the concept of separation of church and state.

“If you want to put somebody that’s of Middle Eastern descent that’s fine, but when we cross that line into faith we have a problem,” he said.

Despite Grensky’s protest, Masters said there are no plans in place to remove the image.

Ya know, in the “spirit” of multiculturalism, I can’t see any reason why we can’t have an image of a jihadi “warrior” wielding a raised scimitar, over a man dressed as an Orthodox Jew. We could caption it, “Head off to the library!” Or maybe we could feature a woman wearing a hijab with half her face eaten away, when her husband threw acid at her…”My face or yours.” How about a little child showing off the bloody stump of what used to be his right hand, which was hacked off b/c he stole a candy bar…”All I want for Christmas is….” I mean, come on people, we just need to be a little MORE CREATIVE here! I mean, this islamophobia (or is the word, ‘islamophilia’ now?) is just gonna get us all blown to smithereens! It’s time to loosen up! Oh hey, that ‘new word’, islamophilia gives me another idea, it’s related to another word that ends in ‘philia’. We could caption that one, “I just wanna feel-ya.” “BYE BYE MISS AMERICAN PIE, DROVE MY CHEVY TO THE LEVY, BUT THE LEVY WAS DRY, AND GOOD OLE’ BOYS WAS DRINKIN’ WHISKEY AND RYE, SINGIN’ THIS’LL BE THE DAY THAT I DIE, YEAH, THIS’LL BE THE DAY THAT I DIE!’ (don mc clean)

If the vehicle had & picture of & crescent symbol then they would be promoting religion. That would be unconstitutional. I don’t trust Islam. But there are people who are not Muslims who wear this garments.

“For starters, he said the fact that the woman is Arab and wearing a hijab doesn’t necessarily mean she is of the Muslim faith.” Huh? No woman in her right mind would cover her head up like that. Or wear such complete-cover as the hijab. Some women wear a bonnet or other covering, but never as extreme as Islam requires.

Libraries are supported by tax payer money. What about a bus with the picture of Mother Teresa on it. How would that go down with the athiest and anti christian crowd. I didn’t realize filing a complaint thats makes much sense was against the law. But then I bet CAIR was behind this questioning of the complaintant. Just another example how Islam is slowly creeping into your lives and nobody seems to give a damn.

Norman Public Library West
Teens invited to participate in “Muslim Voices” series

[April 20: How Does it Feel to be a Problem? by Moustafa Bayoumi
Description: The story of how young Arab and Muslim Americans are forging lives for themselves in a country that often mistakes them for the enemy.

The Pioneer Library System was selected by the Oklahoma Humanities Council as one of a handful of sites to offer the programs, which are presented by the New York Council for the Humanities.]

Actually the Imama is incorrect. It’s not islamophobic to question the Public LIbrayr’s decision. There is no separation between Church and State in Islam. Or in their case Mosque and State. The State is the Mosque and Mosque is the State. Whereas individuals – black, white, old or young do not have a specific wear that endorses and promotes a religious agenda.

This should not be on a tax paid vehicle, the comments of the inmen are so dumb Muslims Cry about anything they think is anti Muslim but we’re are they when 9-11 happened or killing of Christian’s and the horrors of their religion. Muslims are a Cancer on society.